Chapter 4: Nanase-san and I the Next Morning
(What should I do…!? Think carefully, me…!!)
The morning after I witnessed the ugly scene between Nanase-san and Ema, I was racking my brains in the classroom, filled with the chatter of my classmates.
My悩み事, of course, was about Nanase-san. Specifically, how I should approach her when she arrived at school later.
After what happened yesterday, and since we’d also talked about seeing each other at school again, I figured I should say something to Nanase-san when she came in.
The problem was, what kind of tone should I use?
Talking to her too seriously might remind her of yesterday, but on the other hand, addressing her cheerfully also carried its own risks.
Now that a night had passed, I couldn’t predict how Nanase-san’s state of mind might have changed, so it was more than half a gamble.
I was desperately trying to figure out the best way to make contact, one with the highest chance of success, when… I suddenly felt a weight on my back and shoulders, as if something was pressing down on me, and at the same time, a voice echoed by my ear.
“Onoue-kun, morning~!”
“N-N-Nanase-san!? G-Good morning…!”
I somehow managed to greet her, startled by Nanase-san’s actions—speaking to me while wrapping her arms around my neck and hugging me from behind—and by how unexpectedly close her face was.
Nanase-san giggled at my reaction as I twisted my body around, then released her arms. Tilting her head, she asked,
“What’s wrong? You look so serious this morning. Thinking about something?”
“Ah… um, well, uh…”
What was the right way to respond in this situation? I desperately worked my brain, searching for an answer.
Just as I concluded that I should probably be honest here… Nanase-san, a self-deprecating smile on her face, spoke up.
“I know. You were wondering how to act around me, weren’t you?”
“…Yeah.”
Thanks to Nanase-san bringing it up herself, it became easier to admit.
After I answered honestly, Nanase-san let out a small sigh and continued.
“Sorry for making you worry about me. But I’m really okay now! I slept on it and feel completely refreshed. And, like you told me yesterday, I’ve come to think that I was lucky to find out his true nature early on!”
“…I see. That’s good then.”
Her words probably contained some bravado.
Even though he was the worst kind of guy, Ema had been Nanase-san’s childhood friend long before he became her boyfriend.
The shock of discovering the true nature of a guy she’d known for so long, and being betrayed by him, wasn’t something that could be easily wiped away.
Still, seeing her decide to look forward and show me a smile made me think she was a really strong person.
“It might be tactless of me to ask, but… don’t you think about getting back at him? Like, exposing the fact that Ema was cheating…”
“Ah… Nah, it’s fine. I actually thought about that a little yesterday, and I tried looking for some kind of proof… but there was nothing.”
“Weren’t there any messages in your emails or LINE that proved you were dating?”
“Nope, ab-so-lute-ly nothing! It was all stuff that could easily be passed off as conversations between childhood friends! I reread them and was surprised myself! Come to think of it, he was the one who told me we shouldn’t leave any such evidence because we wouldn’t know where it might leak from!”
After laughing “ahaha,” Nanase-san then let out a huge sigh.
In front of me, who realized she wasn’t disappointed about not finding evidence to expose Ema, but about something else, she said,
“…I guess that’s what it all meant in the end. To Hidetoshi, I was just his childhood friend, not his girlfriend. From the start, we just sort of fell into that kind of relationship… his true love was Shibamura.”
“Nanase-san…”
Ema had predicted this would happen. That’s why he had acted in a way that wouldn’t leave any proof that he and Nanase-san were dating, and had urged her to do the same.
I didn’t know if it was his own cunning or if his affair partner, Shibamura-san, had put him up to it.
But… I could tell that Nanase-san was deeply hurt by the realization that the person she thought was her lover had been preparing to discard her at any time.
“Aargh, sorry! I guess I am a little down after all! Times like these call for stress eating! Sweets, sweets~!!”
Saying that, Nanase-san’s shoulders slumped dejectedly. She pulled out a melon bread from somewhere, tore open the wrapper, and took a huge bite.
There was no one around my seat at the back of the classroom. This conversation was only possible because no one was listening… and I’m sure the same went for this stress eating.
As I stared at Nanase-san munching on the melon bread like a hamster, stuffing it into her mouth, she must have noticed my gaze. She looked up, swallowed the bread in her mouth, and asked,
“What’s wrong, Onoue-kun? Staring at me so intently like that.”
“No… I was just wondering what Ema could have possibly been dissatisfied with about you, Nanase-san. If I were dating you, Nanase-san, I don’t think I’d ever even consider cheating…”
Saying that, I once again stared intently at Nanase-san, observing her.
Her glossy black short bob suited Nanase-san’s lively, somewhat childish atmosphere, and her face was so adorable it could rival an idol’s.
On top of being a universally acknowledged beauty, her chest was large, just as Ema had said… Anyone would declare that a guy who could date a girl like this would be an incredibly lucky fellow.
“…Maybe he just didn’t like childish girls? He just preferred a classic beautiful girl over a cute, lolita-type with big breasts, right?”
“Is that so…?”
I also knew about Ema’s affair partner, Shibamura Nina-san.
As Nanase-san said, she was indeed quite a beautiful girl, with looks that could be described as both cute and pretty. Nanase-san was the type of girl popular with a certain group of guys, whereas Shibamura-san felt like the type popular with many guys.
But, in front of me, who was thinking that at least that couldn’t be a decisive reason to choose Shibamura-san over Nanase-san, Nanase-san, having finished her melon bread, took out a second one and said,
“Well, in the end, I’m just a pathetic woman who was cheated on and then dumped by a guy. The only thing of value is these breasts, which grew because all the nutrients that should have gone to my height accumulated here. In everything else, I’m a pathetic woman who completely loses to Shibamura—”
“No, that’s not true. If you think about it normally.”
Hearing Nanase-san’s self-deprecating words, I couldn’t help but blurt that out.
To her, who stopped moving, her eyes wide with surprise at my words, I continued.
“Sure, looks and breast size are matters of personal preference, so you can’t make a clear judgment about who’s superior… But, thinking normally, a girl who says she wants to date a guy who already has a girlfriend, even knowing that, definitely isn’t decent, right? At this point, it’s Nanase-san’s overwhelming victory, isn’t it?”
“Mmh… well, maybe that’s true, but…”
“Not ‘maybe,’ it is true,” I continued, speaking to Nanase-san.
Seeing Nanase-san, who seemed to have recovered but was still down, her thoughts tinged with self-deprecation, I decided to convey my honest feelings to cheer her up even a little.
“I think you’re just as cute and charming as Shibamura-san, Nanase-san. At least in terms of personality, you’re definitely superior. So, please don’t say you’re no good. If I’m good enough, I’ll encourage you as much as you need.”
“Onoue-kun…!”
It seemed my heartfelt words of encouragement had reached Nanase-san.
She stopped her stress eating, put the second melon bread she was about to open into her pocket, and looked at me with a smile as she spoke.
“…Thanks. Looks like you’ve cheered me up again. I’ve been making you worry about me constantly since yesterday, Onoue-kun.”
“It’s no trouble at all. Besides, words from someone like me probably aren’t much encouragement anyway.”
“That’s not true! You just don’t realize it, Onoue-kun, but you’ve really saved me, you know? So, come on, don’t say things like ‘someone like me~’. You were the one who told me not to say things like that, weren’t you, Onoue-kun?”
Nanase-san said, tilting her head charmingly and looking up at me.
As I gave a wry smile at having my own words thrown back at me, relieved that she had regained her spirits, Nanase-san suddenly threw this question at me.
“Ah, that’s right! Onoue-kun, are you free after school today? I want to thank you for yesterday, so if you’re okay with it, let’s go hang out somewhere together!”
“Uh, sorry. My parents are coming home late today, so I have to make dinner for my younger brothers at home. So—”
Grateful as I was for the sudden invitation, I told her I had plans today. I was about to apologetically turn down her offer to hang out, but… upon hearing my words, Nanase-san actually seemed pleased, smiling as she said this.
“Hmph, is that so? In that case, that’s perfect!”
“Huh? Perfect…?”
“Yep! Since I’m going to repay you for your help, it’s perfect, right?”
I couldn’t quite understand Nanase-san’s words, spoken with an even brighter smile than before.
To my confused self… Guh! Nanase-san gave a thumbs-up and, with a truly brilliant smile, declared.
“I’m coming to your place to make dinner, Onoue!!”